1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a wearable ventilation system for providing a continuous stream of air over a large portion of a person's body which can be used at any time but is most particularly useful under heavy outer garments particularly such as those garments worn as protective outer wear in dangerous industrial environments.
Of particular note is any industrial environment wherein Nitrobenzene is present.
Whenever an employee working in a chemical environment is required to actually enter the environment he must wear one of a variety of presently available industrial rainwear or protective garments. Often the employee will not wear the garment when performing quick and simple operations in the environment and as such the employee is exposed to some element of danger. In order to encourage and employee to wear the garment it would be desirable to make the garment as comfortable as possible to the employee during times of usage as well as making the garment as simple and easy as possible for the employee to put on and take off. In this regard the wearable vent and ventilation system of the present invention provides a means for cooling the skin surface of a person wearing an industrial protective garment in order to provide increased comfort and other associated advantages. In particular the wearable ventilation system provides an auxiliary means for defogging the interior of the face shield of an industrial protective garment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The currently used air-conditioned protective hoods and clothing are quite bulky and cumbersome and as such users are required to include a cooling or ventilating system whenever these garments are worn for any extended period of time. The ventilating systems currently used are primarily limited to arrays of air hosing and tubing which is bulky and cumbersome to the wearer especially when worn underneath industrial rainwear. Many of these systems also include the holding of an air tank on the back of the wearer in order to make the suit and ventilation system portable, however, none of these systems have proven satisfactory. The more economically made systems merely supply air to the helmet or head and face area and are based on the principle that if you will cool the user's head and face area the user will feel more comfortable all over.
A wearer will refrain from using the ventilation system whenever the assembly of the system requires the placement of numerous hoses, buckles and clamps throughout the surface of a person's body even prior to putting on the heavy industrial protective garment itself.
The present system provides a simple air ventilating system which can be put on in the same time that is required to put on a vest. That configuration is usable with any external garment. However, it is also possible, with the increased comfort achieved by this design, to include the design sewn or otherwise attached to the interior of an industrial protective garment and as such there is no element of discomfort or inconvenience any greater than merely putting on the industrial protective garment itself. The comfort and ease of the system of the present invention is not achieved by the bulky hose configurations and other similar complicated ventilation systems in the prior art, and presently being utilized. The present invention is novel and unique in the use of a fabric material as the means for providing the conduit for communicating the ventilating air to the various locations along the user's arms and legs as well as to the user's head and face area.